Victor Nizet is a physician-scientist and Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Pharmacy at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). A graduate of Reed College, he completed medical school at Stanford University, Residency and Chief Residency in pediatrics at Harvard University/Boston Children's Hospital, and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship training at Seattle Children's Hospital. Since joining UCSD in 1997, Nizet has led a large basic and translational research program focused on discovering virulence factors of invasive bacterial pathogens, elucidating mechanisms of host innate immunity and innovative approaches to infectious disease therapy. Nizet has authored over 490 peer-reviewed publications and has collaborated with many academic labs and biotechnology interests exploring new antibiotics, vaccines and immune-based therapies against drug-resistant pathogens or sepsis. 
 
Interdisciplinary science and mentorship represent the cornerstones of Nizet's professional career. He has helped nucleate investigative teams that bring fundamental expertise in molecular cell biology, glycobiology, medicinal chemistry, systems biology, structural biology, basic immunology, nanotechnology or clinical medicine to address questions at the host-pathogen interface in novel ways. Benefitting from his mentorship, 27 of Nizet's former postdoctoral fellows or graduate students have gained full time academic faculty positions at universities or research institutes in the U.S and internationally, while an equal number have found rewarding careers and leadership positions in biotechnology, education, clinical medicine or scientific communications. Nizet is a leader in many successful UCSD initiatives for graduate and dual-degree training, postdoctoral and junior faculty development, and increasing equity, diversity and inclusion in the biomedical workforce.